The present invention relates to wheels for measuring by rolling contact a dimension of an elevated temperature surface, and particularly to wheels for measuring the length of product in continuous casting machines.
Conventionally, wheels for measuring cast slabs have been mounted either on a trolley movable up and down on vertical rails or a pivotable arm rotated by a cylinder. The wheels in such devices are subject to damage due to operator error, for example, if left in lowered position in the path of a moving slab. This occurs more frequently where a cut slab is moved in reverse direction for the purpose of making additional cuts. An even more prevalent problem is that of water leakage from the internally cooled wheel. An apt discussion of this problem is contained in British Pat. No. 1,403,878, assigned to Gasetechnik Lotz, K. G., the specification of which is incorporated herein by reference. An example of one attempt to solve the leakage problem is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,050,160, Schmitt. The apparent disadvantage of the Schmitt design is that water constantly flows out of the wheel onto the surrounding area.
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide improved cooling and eliminate leakage from a wheel for measuring by rolling contact a dimension of an elevated temperature surface.
It is a further object to eliminate damage to the wheel due to impact by the product to be measured.